Remote-auditing of computer generated outcomes and authenticated biling and access control system using cryptographic and other protocols

• US 5,768,382 A
• Filed: 11/22/1995
• Issued: 06/16/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Inventor Holdings LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Original Assignee: Walker Asset Management Limited Partnership
• Inventors: Jorasch, James, Walker, Jay, Schneier, Bruce
• Primary Examiner(s): Barron, Jr., Gilberto
• Application Number:
  US08/561,668
• Time in Patent Office: 937 Days
• Field of Search: 463/40, 463/41, 463/42, 463/29, 380/23, 380/25
• US Class Current: 380/251
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/401 Secure communication, e.g. using encryption or authentication
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/513 server hierarchy, e.g. local, regional, national or dedicated for different tasks, e.g. authenticating, billing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/532 using secure communication, e.g. by encryption, authentication
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/535 for monitoring, e.g. of user parameters, terminal parameters, application parameters, network parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5513 involving billing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5546 using player registration data, e.g. identification, account, preferences, game history
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/558 by assessing the players' skills or ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3218 wherein at least part of the system is portable

Abstract

A computer device and method for encoding a message corresponding to an outcome of a computer game, and a computer device and method for decoding the message to detect a fraudulent outcome. The computer device used to generate the encoded message includes (1) a memory device containing encoding control code and (2) a processor configured to process the encoding control code in conjunction with a computer game outcome to generate an encoded message containing the computer game outcome and to transmit the encoded message to a human-readable output device, such as a display device. The computer device includes various tamper resistant or tamper evidence features. A secure module containing the processor and memory is used to plug into an existing personal computer or dedicated game device. The method for encoding the message includes the steps of executing a computer game program to generate a computer game outcome, encoding the computer game outcome to generate an encoded message, and providing the encoded message to a user, who may then transmit the encoded message to a device configured for decoding the encoded message to reveal the computer game outcome. A second central or host computer device is used to decode the encoded message. The second computer device has (a) a memory device containing decoding control code and an encoded message corresponding to a computer game outcome and (b) a processor configured to process the code to decode the encoded message to reveal the computer game outcome.

Claims

1. A method, comprising the steps of:

executing a computer game program to generate a computer game outcome;

encoding the computer game outcome to generate an encoded message;

providing said encoded message to a user for transmission to a device configured for decoding said encoded message; and

periodically checking blocks of said computer game program during said step of executing.

2. A method, comprising the steps of:

registering a computer game program with a central computer;

receiving a registration code corresponding to said registered computer game;

executing a computer game program to generate a computer game outcome;

receiving by a user the computer game outcome in the form of an encoded message; and

providing by said user said encoded message to a device configured for decoding said encoded message.

3. A method, comprising the steps of:

registering a computer game program with a central computer;

receiving a registration code corresponding to said registered computer game;

executing a computer game program to generate a computer game outcome;

receiving by a user the computer game outcome in the form of an encoded message;

providing by said user said registration code to said device configured for decoding said encoded signal; and

providing by said user said encoded message to a device configured for decoding said encoded message.

4. A method, comprising the steps of:

registering a computer game belonging to a particular computer game user;

generating a unique random number corresponding to said computer game belonging to said particular game user;

receiving an encoded registration message from a computer game user;

decoding said encoded registration message to retrieve a number within said registration message;

receiving from a user an encoded message corresponding to an outcome of a computer game;

decoding said encoded message to retrieve said outcome;

storing for further use said outcome; and

comparing said number within said registration message with said unique random number to determine whether said computer game outcome was generated on a particular computer game.

5. A computer device comprising:

means for executing a computer game program to generate a computer game outcome;

means for encoding the computer game outcome to generate an encoded message;

means for providing said encoded message to a user;

means for registering said computer game program with a central computer; and

means for receiving a registration code corresponding to said registered computer game program.

6. A computer device, comprising:

means for registering a computer game belonging to a particular computer game user;

means for generating a unique random number corresponding to said computer game belonging to said particular computer game user;

means for transmitting said unique random number to said particular computer game user;

means for receiving a registration message from a user;

means for receiving from a user an encoded message corresponding to an outcome of said computer game;

means for decoding said encoded message to retrieve said outcome;

means for storing said outcome; and

means for comparing said registration message with said unique random number to confirm that a particular computer game outcome was generated on a particular computer game.

7. A computer device, comprising:

means for registering a plurality of computer games and for generating a plurality of unique random numbers, each unique random number corresponding to a particular one of said plurality of computer games;

means for receiving from a user an encoded message corresponding to an outcome of a particular one of said plurality of computer games;

means for decoding said encoded message to retrieve said outcome; and

means for storing said outcome.

8. A computer device, comprising:

a memory device having encoding control code embodied therein; and

a processor disposed in communication with said memory device, said processor configured to process said encoding control code in conjunction with a computer game outcome to generate an encoded message corresponding to said computer game outcome and to transmit said encoded message to a human-readable output device, wherein said processor is further configured to periodically check blocks of computer game program execution code.

9. A computer device comprising:

memory device having embodied therein decoding control code and an encoded message corresponding to a computer game outcome; and

a processor disposed in communication with said memory device, said processor configured to process said decoding control code to decode said encoded message to reveal said computer game outcome, wherein said processor and said memory device are configured to generate, maintain and transmit a unique registration number for each of a plurality of computer games.

10. A computer device comprising:

a computer readable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein, said computer readable program code means comprising encoding means for causing said computer device to generate an encoded message representing an outcome of a computer game and code means for causing said computer device to provide said encoded message to a user, wherein said computer readable program code means further comprises code means for causing said computer device to periodically check blocks of game program execution code means.

11. A computer device comprising:

a computer readable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein, said computer readable program code means comprising decoding means for causing said computer device to decode an encoded message corresponding to an outcome of a computer game and fraud-detection code means for causing said computer device to determine whether said outcome is fraudulent, wherein said computer readable program code means further comprises code means for causing said computer device to issue a unique registration number for each computer game belonging to a particular computer game user.